Joseph’s interest in China dates back to his senior year in high school when he served as both the national president of Future Business Leaders of America and the president of the American Legion Boys Nation. In college, Joseph’s research has focused on American-Sino relations, especially in regards to the potential for resource competition in Africa and Central Asia. He has researched this topic for the past two summers while studying Chinese in Beijing, and this past summer he focused specifically on China’s efforts to provide promising African youths with scholarships to study in China. He has also served as a delegate at the Global Initiatives Symposium, where he presented a workshop on how developing Third World nations can use their natural resources to leverage the maximum benefit from developed nations. In addition to his research on China, he has also focused on the growing divide between civilian society and those in the military.